The use of bird replicas as hunting decoys is well known. A substantial amount of ingenuity has been applied to creating bird decoys that realistically depict waterfowl and other birds of interest to hunters and bird watchers. Particular attention has been paid in the most recent generation of decoys to creating bird replicas that realistically represent a bird in active flight in order to maximize the appearance of safety to overflying wildfowl.
In addition to the established use of bird replicas as decoys, replicas of raptors are commonly used as deterrents to discourage the presence of unwanted birds such as pigeons and seagulls in a variety of settings such as buildings and vessels, and also in agricultural environments where they are used to ward off rodents and other pests.
One problem with the existing art is that wildfowl eventually become inured to bird replicas whether the replicas are acting as an attractive decoy or as a deterrent. Another problem is that many replicas, particularly decoys, are bulky, awkward to handle, heavy, and expensive to manufacture. Moreover, some require complicated assembly and disassembly procedures which must frequently be performed under adverse environmental conditions in the field.
Any bird replica which can realistically depict the natural movements of a bird in flight and avoid the above disadvantages will serve many useful needs.